Berry will farewell his many Dunedin supporters with a piano recital this Sunday, from 3pm at First Church, performing works by Schumann, Liszt, Chopin and Ravel.
The talented pianist has taken an unusual route to get to this point — he was mainly self-taught, until he was accepted to study at the University of Otago and had his first formal lessons. He also sang in the Otago Boys’ High School Choir, under expert conductor Karen Knudson.
Since then, his rise has been rapid, including winning numerous prizes at university and placing second in the inaugural Dunedin Concerto Competition in 2021.
After studying piano with Prof Terence Dennis and composition with Prof Anthony Ritchie, Prof Peter Adams and Dunedin-based composer Ken Young, Berry graduated with a BMus (Hons) in performance and composition in 2022.
Earning a place at the prestigious Guildhall music school, and a $21,000 scholarship to cover fees, in his second attempt has been the icing on the cake.
"I have been very lucky to have won a place in only two tries. I know of other musicians who have had to audition five times," Berry said.
"And the scholarship has made all the difference."
He has also received vital scholarships and grants from New Zealand arts funders, including Creative New Zealand, the Dame Malvina Major Foundation, the Judith Clark Memorial Fellowship, locally through the university, the Rotary-administered Mona Semke Trust and others.
In the past few years, Berry has raised funds and gained experience through performing many concerts in Dunedin, Wanaka, Queenstown, Wellington and more.
"I have had to dig deep to raise as much money as possible to cover my costs while I am studying," he said.
Berry will fly to London next week to embark on a two-year master of performance course at the Guildhall, which focuses not only on technique, but also on carving out a career.
"There is a great focus on being a musician and the industry, not only on playing the piano well," he said.
"In the second year, there is a requirement to organise and put on concerts, which will be interesting."
Such skills will come in handy as, for a pianist, the options can be more limited than for players of orchestral instruments.
"Under those circumstances, being a diverse musician and able to manage your own career is a huge advantage."
Berry is excited about the opportunity, but does not want to put too many expectations on himself.
"I want to see how it goes, but I know I am in it for the long haul.
"I want to be an 80-year-old virtuoso."
Berry is looking forward to Sunday’s performance at First Church, which has been "a great platform" for him as a performer in recent years.
"The First Church community have been really supportive and have helped provide a vital performance platform for me — everyone learns by performing.
"There is a comfortable atmosphere there as well, which I really like."
Entry to the concert is free, with donations welcome towards Berry’s costs in London.
